Admissions & Aid

On March 11, 2021, President Biden signed the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (ARP) (Pub. L. 117-2). ("ARP"). In accordance with the ARP requirements, WPI is conducting direct outreach to financial aid applicants about the opportunity to receive a financial aid adjustment due to the recent unemployment of a family member or independent student, or other special circumstances, described in section 479A of the HEA.

At WPI we understand that there are various circumstances that may impact a student and their family's financial situation which is not reflected in their Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). If COVID-19 or other difficult circumstances have significantly altered your family's financial situation in the past year, WPI's Office of Student Aid & Financial Literacy may be able to help.

Special circumstances are anything that differentiates the family's finances from those of other families. Reasons for a professional judgement request may include (but are not limited to):

  • Recent unemployment
  • Recent death of wage earner
  • Recent change in marital status
  • Recent unusually high out of pocket medical expenses not reimbursed by insurance
  • Other significant, measurable, and involuntary changes in financial circumstances

Steps to request a special circumstance/professional judgement review: 

  1. Submit the required form and additional documentation. 
  2. Once all documentation has been received, allow 3–4 weeks for processing.
    • Please allow additional time for processing during our peak enrollment times.
    • The Office of Student Aid & Financial Literacy may request additional information from you. Please check your WPI email frequently. 

Appeal review has begun, the appeal form will close on April 2, 2022.

Please note that if you have already filed a special circumstance appeal and/or received an approved professional judgement decision for the 2021–2022 academic year, you may file a new appeal using this application; but, please be aware that it is highly likely that you may not be eligible for additional funding.

Students will be notified via email of the outcome of the review and award adjustments can be viewed via your WPI Financial Aid Portal. 

**Please note that a Professional Judgement request does not guarantee approval. In addition, even if approved, the recalculation of FAFSA data does not always result in an increase of aid eligibility. If the professional judgement is not in your favor, it will not be processed.

If you have questions about this process, please email finaid@wpi.edu.